On Saturday mornings, I walk to my favorite coffee shop - on the way, I stop at an old smoke shop-plus-news stand. The owner and I now recognize each other - part of the knowing is not needing to engage in conversation. I spend 5-7 minutes deciding among the NYT, WSJ, the Economist, and the … Continue reading Reading as Meditation
Category: Musings
Past Lives
Past Lives - for the past 48 hours, I've been trying to find words to fill the space and heaviness in my heart. It's not the sad kind of heaviness.. it's the melancholic kind. The kind that exists inside of us, as its own living, breathing being, without making us sad. The kind that reflects … Continue reading Past Lives
2023: half-baked ideas + rent-free thoughts
I kept waiting to have more fully-baked thoughts on these topics, but I thought it would be interesting to document what I was thinking about, at 28. There is no so-what, only the 'now'. Everything we do in life is a means to cope with it - I read this somewhere, and while it seemed … Continue reading 2023: half-baked ideas + rent-free thoughts
How do you go through life?
I often wonder how the external recognition of grief, mourning, pain is time-boxed. How we go through this life: mourning the departure of a partner or a friend, coping with the loss of a family member, experiencing the pain of someone we care deeply about, and still carry on with life? Showing up to work … Continue reading How do you go through life?
Should I vote on interests or principles?
When Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, I became a single-issue voter overnight. How could anything matter more than my right of choice over my own body? But, I soon realized that, in California, my right to abortion was still the same - legal and protected. In fact, in November, the Constitution of … Continue reading Should I vote on interests or principles?
Impact
My definition of impact has evolved over time. In college, I believed impact meant social impact, driven by my social entrepreneurship work with Enactus, and my inner quest for equality. In investment banking after college, this definition of impact strengthened - as I helped mining conglomerates get bigger and richer, I felt the urge to … Continue reading Impact
The case for, and against, under-represented minorities hiring
I know, I know.. this is a touchy topic, and the proponents on both sides usually have had deep personal experiences, warranting their strong emotions on this subject. I am not a researcher or diversity specialist. I'm a woman, a feminist, and I have often debated this, with people on both sides. I write this … Continue reading The case for, and against, under-represented minorities hiring
Ed-tech is hot, but 85% of India’s children are feeling the heat of no education
Ed-tech has had covid tailwinds and a flurry of entrepreneurial and investor activity - but are children really learning?
Why feminism is for you, me, and everyone else
"Ah Kalki is back with one of her videos""Oh is she? All these girls will share it and give her, her two minutes of fame""Haan, acting nahi hui toh ab yehi karti hai""What's wrong with Emma Watson man? Why can't she just concentrate on looking hot?""Yeah what's with all her namesake (read fake) feminism? All … Continue reading Why feminism is for you, me, and everyone else
Winter
Hello, winterSun's rays through the haze like shards and splinterNight stretching taut,Below the flyover, the skinny girl with blue toes does rotCosmic ocean, an infinite skyAs they converge, an amber horizon liesNight is witness as benevolence stands guardThe chill leaves her soul untouched, body marredDew greets the petal as dawn breaks,Numb from the cold, every … Continue reading Winter
Ipshita Agarwal 